Recording and reproducing devices have been used widely hitherto as means for recording broadcast program in recording media such as magnetic tape, optical disk or hard disk and reproducing them. Using such recording and reproducing devices, the user can both record a program being currently viewed, and record a predetermined program at a predetermined time with a timer recording function.
In a conventional optical disk recording device, outline of process until staring recording after turning on the power is explained. The recording apparatus includes a tuner for receiving broadcast waves, a controller for controlling the operation of the device, an encoder for encoding, several types of input and output (I/O) interfaces, and a disk drive device. In such device, when the power of the device is turned on, first, the tuner, controller, encoder, I/O interfaces and other units in the device are initialized. The disk drive is also initialized. When all initialization is complete, it is ready to start recording of broadcast waves.
Since it is required to complete initialization to all units by the device becomes ready to start recording, it takes a long time about 30 to 60 seconds from start of supplying the power until start of recording in an optical disk recoding device. Thus the user has to wait for a while after turning on the power switch.
By contrast, a new device has been proposed (see, for example, patent document 1), which is provided with a cache memory. The new device starts storing of encoded data to the cache memory when initialization of the controller, encoder and cache memory is complete after turning on the power, and starts recording from the cache memory to the disk when initialization of the disk drive is completed. According to this device, without waiting for completion of initialization of the disk drive, recording process is started upon completion of initialization of controller and encoder, and the user can start recording without waiting for completion of initialization of the disk drive.
Patent document 1: JP-A-2004-147200